Raw Wagon Train Hides
by Drumboy100
Summary: Running into each other while on a particularly lush, fertile trail, the Wagon Train and Rawhide crews decide to team up for a while. The Wagon Master and the Trail Boss agree that their staff will welcome the change, and interact pleasantly with each other...
1. Chapter 1

"Well, I'll be damned," Gil said, shielding his eyes from the brutal Midwestern sun. "You'd think we'd run across these people more often, since both our groups tend to travel in circles."

"Who is it?" Rowdy asked, squinting.

"That's the biggest wagon train that I know of," Gil said, grinning. "I haven't seen them in probably five years now. Come on, let's run on and meet up with them." He gestured his intention to his cowhands, and he and Rowdy swiftly caught up to the head of the long line of wagons.

"Hey—ho!" Gil called, waving his greetings. "Howdy!" a man in the front wagon called, and Gil caught up to him, riding astride.

"Hi there," Gil said, nodding his head. "Can I have a word with Chris Hale?"

"I'm sorry to say that he passed away two years ago," the man responded, and Gil felt a brief, respectful sadness, although he and Hale had only met a few times. "I'm the Wagon Master now. The name's Bill Hawks."

Gil shook the proffered hand. "I'm sorry to hear it, but congratulations on your new title," he responded. "You look familiar, so I guess you were promoted."

"That's right," Bill said with a smile. "And you drive quite a large herd of cattle, if I'm remembering correctly."

"That's what I wanted to speak to you about," Gil said, glad to come directly to the point. "I'd like for my herd to be on this road for as long as possible, since my scouts came back with the same report as yours probably did. Relatively flat terrain, good grass for the livestock, and no enemies, as far as we can tell."

"Right."

"I know your former master was an honorable man, and would only hire honorable men," Gil continued. "Since we might be on the same road for a while, I'd like very much if we learned to share."

Bill paused. "What would that look like to you?"

"Strict and equal rules about where the livestock can graze, so that one of us isn't stuck with the leftovers from the other group," Gil said. "And, even though our men might be working harder on their shifts because there's more people and cattle, maybe we can have some shifts off, too, since now we're doubling hands."

Bill paused. "Let me talk to my men," he said. Forty minutes later, there was a basic written agreement and a handshake.

"Come on, Rowdy," Gil said, distracted and excited by the prospect of different people and schedules for the next few days at least. "Let's tell the men." He waited for a response, frowning and turning around when he got none. Rowdy was significantly behind him, staring intently into one of the wagons. "Rowdy!" Gil called. Rowdy gave one last, lingering look, and dug his heels into his horse to catch up to his trail boss.

Rowdy ordinarily wasn't a drinker, but he tipped back his head and swigged the last of his shot of whiskey, grimacing at the lengthy burn that followed it. A few more seconds, though, and he felt the slightly woozy feeling, along with more confidence and looser inhibitions. He had done his homework, and the common report was that she was single, and more friendly than not. It had been quite a long time.

He forced himself to wait the torturously long time that it took for her to have a second to herself, and planted himself in front of her, putting one hand on the nearest wagon in what he hoped was a self-assured, casual lean. "Nice to meet you," he said, and winced at his choice of words.

The woman stopped abruptly, surprised, but recovered quickly. "I don't recall being introduced," she said, but had a mischievous gleam in her eye that gave Rowdy a flash of hope.

"Well, then, let's do it now." Rowdy flashed a grin, grateful that his teeth were whiter and straighter than almost any other man on the trail.

"Cecelia Renale." She stuck out her hand.

"Rowdy Yates. Well, how about we go on a walk around these wagons and you tell me your story?" he asked. He wanted more privacy than not, but he didn't want her to think that he was going directly for the gold.

She hesitated, but her smile returned, fuller and more brilliant now. "As long as we make it short—"

"Ceecee, are you about ready for me to look at that cracked wagon axle?" A man a few years older than Rowdy appeared abruptly at Cecelia's right side, standing at exactly the right angle to send a signal without Rowdy being able to call him on it.

Cecelia looked back and forth between the two men and, to Rowdy's disappointment, flattered this man with the same smile that she had just given to Rowdy. "Sure, maybe in fifteen minutes, Cooper?" she asked him.

Coop's jawline hardened almost imperceptibly. "I'm pretty tired, what with my work duties being doubled," he replied. "I'm going to bed soon, and it'll have to wait til tomorrow night if we don't do it right now."

"Oh, you have your own wagon, Cecelia?" Rowdy asked innocently. "No one else?"

"My mam and little brother," she replied.

"Well then! It looks like you don't have to be present while this good man does your family a favor," Rowdy said a bit too cheerfully, feeling the continued loosening effects from the alcohol. "Unless this man needs female help in checking or fixing a wagon axle."

At this insult, Cooper instinctually took a menacing step forward, and stopped when he felt a firm hand on his shoulder. "Problem, gentlemen?" Bill asked, standing in the middle of their circle and looking at each of them in turn.

Cooper responded first, as he was in Bill's employment. "No sir," he said, a steely edge to his voice.

"Well then, how about we all go to bed now, huh? I know we're all tired from our new duties, and we all want to be well-rested for the dance tomorrow night. We want to enjoy our brief time together, before each one of continues going the way that their group needs to go." Bill settled his eyes on Rowdy.

Rowdy bristled, but said nothing. Cecelia was the first to leave, with an endearing bounce to her step and a flip of her hair, but the two men backed up slowly a couple of steps, their eyes trained on each other, almost as if they were in a duel. Only when Cecelia had entered her wagon did the two men dare turn their backs on one another.


	2. Chapter 2

"Rowdy!" Gil called, waving his head cowhand over. "Bill Hawks told me an interesting story twenty minutes ago," he said in his usual frankness, speaking efficiently yet not unkindly.

"I can guess what it was," Rowdy said sullenly, wincing at the whine in his voice. He felt deflated without the effects of the alcohol.

"So what's going on?" Gil asked.

Rowdy said nothing, and finally sighed. "I loved her instantly," he said.

"From the first time you saw her, two days ago."

"There's such thing as love at first sight."

"More likely lust at first sight," Gil said. "You know you're parting ways with her in a couple of weeks at most, unless you'd like to change your career for just a chance."

"I know, I know, I should let her be happy with that arrogant bastard." Rowdy rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"I'm not going to give you love advice," Gil said gently. "But I am going to give you firm instruction to let tonight be a one-time occurrence. We cowhands don't have a reputation of leaving girls unspoiled, and you're playing into this wagon train's fears that we may have only joined up with them for a good time."

"I'll behave, Gil," Rowdy answered.

"Good." Gil clapped him on his back and left him with his thoughts.

Dear God, she was dancing every dance with him. Was she really that stupid, to flirt blindly with a man that would abuse her and go right back to his cows? Cooper suddenly felt a stab of pain on each palm, and realized that he'd been digging in his fingernails with the chronic clenching of his fists.

Coop knew that something had to be done when he tried to wave away the red fireflies, and discovered that his vision was actually obstructed by angry red dots. He would do this honorably, though. He waited until the next song, and tapped her on the shoulder. "May I cut in?"

"Cooper!" Ceecee beamed at him like he was water in the middle of the desert. "Well—" she gave Rowdy a girlish, apologetic smile—"okay!"

Rowdy's eyed bugged slightly, remembering a clear moment last night when she had picked him over Cooper. "Well…well…"

"I believe the lady has made her decision," Coop said curtly, taking her hand.

Rowdy found it unbearable to watch the two of them dance from the sidelines. As soon as the clapping began and the dancing briefly stopped, he stepped up to the couple, feverish with jealousy.

"Can I cut in?" he asked.

"Well, sure, Rowdy!" she said with a giggle, and more of a Southern accent than she had thus far spoken with.

"What-?" Cooper stammered. "You two had the first, what, twelve dances?"

"I believe the lady has made her decision," Rowdy said drily, and tugged on Cecelia's arm. Rowdy felt a tap on his shoulder, turned around, and suddenly found himself sprawled on the ground with an aching jaw.

"Cooper!" Cecelia squealed, although made no attempt to move.

Rowdy recovered quickly, kicking Cooper's knees out from under him. Rowdy jumped on him, yet Cooper quickly regained the upper hand.

By this time the merrymakers had scattered in a wide circle, with a messenger departed for the leaders. The fiddle-player had departed for his wagon, the party forgotten. Rowdy got in a powerful kick, briefly knocking the wind from Cooper, and Cooper wrenched Rowdy's arm behind him in a dominating lock before Cooper felt himself yanked back by the shirt, falling into the dirt.

"You know this is a job, not an equestrian club," Bill spat, his eyes sparking with anger above Cooper. "A job where you need to earn the respect of the general community, even after hours."

Rowdy stood watching this show, trying to rub the blood flow back into his arm, when he felt a powerful hand push into his stomach and slam him violently into the side of a nearby wagon. Rowdy crashed into it at full speed, then groaned, unsure of which of his many hurting body parts he should be gripping in pain.

"Only last night you promised me," Gil seethed, his face six inches from Rowdy's. "If the wagon train breaks our agreement, there might be no grass left for our cows after their horses eat it first."

Rowdy settled on his jaw, massaging it back and forth. "He punched first, Favor."

"So you're Mr. Innocent?" Gil asked, hands resting on the wagon, on either side of Rowdy's head.

Rowdy looked into Gil's narrowed eyes, in a state that Rowdy had never seen before, and remained silent.

Bill again grabbed the back of Cooper's shirt and pulled him ungracefully to his feet. "How about you dancers apologize to the people entrusted to our care, huh?"

_And cows,_ Cooper thought but did not say.

"They don't have to, we understand," a woman said, but Bill waved her statement away.

Feeling a surge of annoyance, Cooper knew that he would have to go first, since these people were part of his wagon train, not his rival's. "I haven't acted in a way that commands your confidence, and I apologize," he said. "I'm always on the job on this train, in spirit at least, and I will work harder on that from now on."

"I'm a guest of all you people, thanks for having me, and I hope my behavior doesn't reflect on my boss's business," Rowdy said, determined not to give just a surly "I'm sorry" after Cooper's speech. "I will behave like a grateful guest now, and focus on my work."

Heads in the crowd began to nod.

"Thanks for second chances, folks," Bill summarized. "This behavior is not condoned and will not be tolerated."

"Agreed," Gil said.

"Let's all head back to our wagons or cattle," Bill announced, and then approached Cecelia. He waited until the crowd dispersed to speak to her, but let the two hands overhear. "I'm sorry, miss, but these two men can't be trusted to behave around you," he said respectfully. "This isn't fair to you, and I'm sorry these men are putting me and you in this situation, but I'm going to have to ask you to remain within or around your wagon until our wagon train is once again alone. I'll ask your mother to always have you within her sight."

Cecelia looked shocked and dismayed, as did Rowdy. Cooper appeared just smug enough not to be obvious, as Cecelia would be all his once the Rawhide crowd went on their way.

"A wise decision, Bill," Gil interjected. Without benediction he grabbed Rowdy's arm in a vice grip, leading him firmly away. "Stay the hell away from her," he warned Rowdy in a low voice. "A quality woman wouldn't have let it go this far anyway. If you two cause any more trouble, I don't know what we'll have to do with you next."


End file.
